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SURGEON David Read points to an X-ray showing eight ball
bearings embedded in the body of a Bali bomb survivor fighting for
his life in Royal Darwin Hospital.

"This one is in the lining of the heart," Dr Read says, pointing
to a small black dot on the X-ray. "We haven't removed it because
it is more dangerous to remove than to leave alone."

But since the man and 22 other survivors of the blasts arrived
at the hospital at the weekend doctors have removed enough shrapnel
from their bodies to fill large shopping bags.

"Several large paper bags, shopping bags, have been filled up
with various aspects of the shrapnel that's been picked up and
retained," the hospital's medical superintendent, Len Notaras,
said.

"We have federal agents on site collecting the samples," he
said. "They are forensic evidence."

Doctors and nurses at the hospital have been shocked by the
extent of injuries caused by the bombs that terrorists packed with
bolts, ball bearings and other shrapnel to maim as well as
kill.

Twelve of the most seriously injured sent to Darwin have
undergone extensive surgery, some of them several times.

But near the end of a hectic second day of surgery yesterday,
the Northern Territory's chief medical officer, Tarun Weeramanthri,
declared: "I have some good news."

Medical specialists had decided that nine of the survivors from
Newcastle, including two still on the critical list, were stable
enough to be flown home.

"It's really important for patients to feel close to their
family and friends," Dr Weeramanthri said.

An RAAF Hercules, manned by Defence Force medical staff and a
Darwin hospital doctor, will fly the nine from Darwin to
Newcastle's John Hunter Hospital this morning.

The group of three men and six women aged from 21 to 55 include
a 50-year-old man who has wounds covering almost all his body and
limbs.

Nine "walking wounded" from Batemans Bay, including a
10-year-old girl, were also expected to fly home on a commercial
flight early today.

Doctors at the hospital had treated them for limb and eardrum
injuries. Most were discharged late on Monday and had been staying
at a Darwin hotel.

A 52-year-old Indonesian man and two Japanese men, aged 21 and
36, will be the only survivors remaining in Royal Darwin Hospital
after the Newcastle group leaves this morning. They are in a
critical but stable condition.

A seriously injured Newcastle man, 55, was transferred to
Sydney's Prince of Wales Hospital late on Monday.

Asked whether doctors were now confident that all the victims
evacuated to Darwin would survive, Dr Weeramanthri said: "We are
absolutely confident that all the patients are progressing as well
as they can, considering their injuries. That doesn't mean that
they are completely out of the woods."

Dr Weeramanthri said all of the survivors were "still very
muted".

"None of the patients are talking very much about what
happened," he said.